The right way to Have a good time Lent in Your Homeschool – 7 Suggestions

For those who don’t come from a liturgical religion background, the idea of Lent could also be new to you. Nonetheless, you is likely to be shocked by how a lot your loved ones grows in non secular consciousness once you put aside the weeks main as much as Easter for prayer and considerate reflection in your homeschool.

What’s Lent? When Does It Begin and Finish?

Lent is the season of non secular preparation and reflection main as much as Easter. The season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday and ends the day earlier than Easter.

Lent lasts 40 days, intentionally mirroring the 40 days Jesus spent fasting within the wilderness earlier than starting his public ministry (Matthew 4:1-11). 40 can also be a big quantity in the case of fasting and listening to from God, as we see in different situations in scripture:

• The Israelites spent 40 years within the wilderness earlier than reaching the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 8:2-4).
• Moses fasted 40 days and nights whereas within the presence of God, receiving the ten Commandments (Exodus 24:18).  
• Moses additionally spent 40 years as a shepherd earlier than God known as him to free his folks from Egypt (Acts 7:30).
• Elijah walked 40 days and nights to Mount Horeb to talk with God (1 Kings 19).
• David reigned as king for 40 years (2 Samuel 5:4).
• David defeated Goliath after he had taunted the Israelites for 40 days (1 Samuel 17:16-40).

Jesus’ trial within the desert deliberately echoes these situations, and the forty-day size of Lent honors the biblical historical past related to the quantity 40. Similar to Jesus and different non secular leaders, we are able to take this time to hope, quick, give, and put together our hearts for what’s coming—Easter.

The right way to Have a good time Lent in Your Homeschool

Lent is centered on self-examination and repentance, and through the season, we’re invited to take time to mirror on how we are able to higher align our lives with God and refocus the place wanted.

You may assist your little one to develop spiritually and develop their relationship with God throughout Lent by prioritizing:

• Training: Do your youngsters know the aim and which means of Lent? If not, contemplate studying by Matthew 4:1-11, Matthew 6:16-18, Joel 2:12-14, and different scriptures about Jesus’ ministry, Easter, Lent, and the significance of fasting and praying. For those who’ve already mentioned the which means of Lent, you may now discover its origins, widespread Lent traditions, and extra.
• Household time: Whereas folks typically affiliate Lent with abstaining from meat or different meals, this season will also be a good time to attach as a household. Develop a routine that enables your loved ones to learn scripture, talk about your quick, pray, and/or join.
• Dialog: In celebrating Lent, you’ll be able to discuss by what it means to quick, the significance of Easter and Jesus’s sacrifice, how Lent invitations us to attract nearer to God, and different important facets of the season.

Beneath, we’ll discover particular actions, devotionals, and traditions you’ll be able to incorporate into your homeschool to make Lent a significant and transformative season for your loved ones. A straightforward solution to have interaction with the Lenten season is to take a look at our Lenten Unit Research: Amon’s Journey and Make Room. Every research contains lent recipes, crafts, devotionals, and extra supplies that assist your loved ones put together your hearts for Easter.

1. Pray

Put aside additional time for prayer. If you’re accustomed to doing a morning devotional time, maybe add one other time of prayer at evening. Or perhaps maintain a prayer record, praying for a sure record of individuals every day. You may attain out to the chums, household, and neighbors that you’re praying for and ask for particular methods to recollect them in prayer.

2. Quick Collectively

Fasting is a typical means folks take part in Lent. Nonetheless, many dad and mom ponder whether youngsters ought to quick.

Whereas adults may abstain from meals or follow extra rigorous types of fasting, youngsters can take part in age-appropriate ways in which nonetheless honor the spirit of the Lenten season. The aim of fasting is not deprivation for its personal sake however creating house in our lives to attract nearer to God. After we briefly put aside one thing we take pleasure in or rely on, we’re reminded of our final dependence on our Heavenly Father.

Fasting serves a number of non secular functions that even youngsters can start to grasp:

• Creating house for God: After we quit one thing that usually occupies our time or consideration, we are able to redirect that power towards prayer and scripture.
• Strengthening religion and self-discipline: Practising self-denial, even in small methods, builds non secular muscle mass that serve us all through our religion journey.
• Making ready for brand new seasons: Simply as Jesus fasted for 40 days earlier than starting His ministry, Lent helps put together our hearts for Easter and the missions God has for us.
• Standing in solidarity with Christ: By small sacrifices, we acquire a tiny glimpse into Christ’s final sacrifice.
• Recognizing God as our supplier: After we really feel the absence of one thing we have given up, it turns into an invite to hope and lean on God’s provision.

When contemplating fasting together with your youngsters, keep in mind you’ll be able to lead by instance and invite relatively than require them to affix you. Share what you are giving up for Lent and why it issues to you. Then, hearken to their ideas, as youngsters can have stunning non secular perception about what is likely to be significant for them to put aside.

Fasting for Lent: Concepts for Kids

If you’re in search of concepts on issues to surrender for Lent in your youngsters, contemplate the next child-friendly solutions:

• Decide to letting go of a favourite snack or dessert all through Lent.
• Have a devoted quiet time; whether or not your little one takes one minute, fifteen minutes, or thirty minutes (relying on their age), comply with put aside time to hope and mirror in silence.
• Create a desert house. Jesus and lots of others spent their 40-day trials and fasts away from disruptions—within the desert; take away litter, decorations, and different distractions from a selected space and make that your desert. Spend time praying or studying scripture on this house every day.
• Quick from one thing digital. Speak about lowering their every day display time or giving up time on social media or from taking part in Xbox.  

The right way to Determine What to Give Up for Lent

What you quit is between you and the Lord, however right here are some things to think about:

• One thing affordable however not simple.
• One thing that you just discover or miss.
• One thing that has a stronghold in your life.

Ask your self (or your little one) the next questions to assist decide what chances are you’ll let go of throughout Lent:

• Am I giving up one thing that’s truly significant to me? Is that this a sacrifice?
• What distracts me from specializing in God?
• The place do you want extra stability?
• What actions take up essentially the most of your time?
• In what space of life, do I would like God’s assist?

3. Learn God’s Phrase

You’ll find every day scripture studying assignments with reflection questions in Sonlight’s Lenten Unit Examine. Construct time for Bible studying and meditating into every day main as much as Lent, and spot the way it speaks to your coronary heart and modifications attitudes in your house!

4. Apply Generosity

The Lenten follow of almsgiving refers to giving one thing away. You can provide away cash, however you can too give away time. There are lots of methods to offer. Contemplate beginning a giving jar. Kids can put a coin within the jar for each act of giving they do within the household, comparable to letting a sibling go first or taking up an additional chore. On the finish of Lent, donate the giving jar to a favourite charity.

You too can use our Cowl the World with Love exercise information. We provide 28 methods you’ll be able to decide to being variety to others in your group and at dwelling, in addition to devotional content material associated to every act of service.

5. Encompass Your self with Music

Enter extra totally into the season by filling your property with music applicable for the season of Lent. Listed below are a couple of songs and hymns:

6. Incorporate Lenten Books into Your Homeschool

Sonlighters like to study and like to learn; what higher solution to have interaction with the Lenten season than to include literature that explores the themes of sacrifice, redemption, and non secular progress into your homeschool curriculum?

Studying age-appropriate books about Lent, from image books for youthful youngsters to extra theological works for teenagers, creates pure alternatives for significant discussions about religion. Every Lenten Unit Examine features a enjoyable and fascinating Reader that your loved ones is certain to like.

7. Discover Lent Recipes & Traditions

Lastly, exploring conventional Lenten recipes and customs from all over the world—like pretzels symbolizing arms crossed in prayer, scorching cross buns, or cabbage soup—presents a multisensory strategy to studying that connects religion with on a regular basis life and helps youngsters perceive how Christians throughout completely different cultures and time durations have noticed this sacred season.

Nonetheless you resolve to have a good time Lent with your loved ones, keep in mind to maintain Jesus’s sacrifice and resurrection on the coronary heart of each exercise. Whereas fasting and non secular disciplines are useful, they serve to attract us nearer to Christ and assist us higher perceive the profound present of Easter. The aim is not merely to “give one thing up” however to create house in our hearts and lives to focus extra intently on our relationship with God.

Don’t overlook to offer your self grace when issues do not go in response to plan. Make plans, do one thing, and have a good time what goes nicely, whereas releasing what doesn’t. Small, significant moments will create a house tradition centered on Jesus.

Get pleasure from a Cohesive Expertise with a Sonlight Lenten Unit Examine

Every research contains 48 days of every day schedules and notes, a ebook (or two!), recipes for household baking, craft supplies, a Lenten music playlist, and extra!